About

I’m Claire, I’m originally from Slaithwaite, a small village in West Yorkshire, UK and Moonraker is the nickname given to the people of our village, which we prefer to call ‘Slawit’.

Since September 2009 I have been living, working and eating in Barcelona. Over the last 10 years I have grown from being someone who ate lots of Heinz and packet foods to thankfully now being someone who has developed a burgeoning passion for good food and cooking and an interest in food production and it’s impact on the environment and society.

Barcelona is a fascinating and exciting city which excites me immensely, particularly gastronomically. The plethora of ingredients, the markets, the patisseries and chocolatiers, the restaurants, small eateries and Catalonia and Spain’s current dominance in the world of culinary creativity were just some of the pulls to this wonderful place.

I learn more about here all the time as I contribute to Barcelona lifestyle and listings magazine http://miniguide.es/

You will find me interspersing Spanish and Catalan vocabulary throughout this blog, the use of both reflects the interchanging usage in this city. However I always aim to use the Catalan words if I know them, this is the capital of Catalonia after all.

I don’t really enjoy writing about eating experiences I haven’t enjoyed so you’ll generally find I’m pretty positive about where I write about. I also don’t have a huge salary so you’ll see I cover places that are affordable and not too extravagant. Sadly.

And finally, do not call me a ‘foodie’. I think having an interest in what we produce, put in our bodies, treat ourselves with and what impact they have on our surroundings are something we should all be conscious of and not be an elitist, niche, snobbish label.

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18 comments on “About”

Thanks Su-Lin, glad you like it. Your posts have also made me check out some of the places you’ve visited here, especially the granjas for hot chocolate and melindros. I also like that we both share a hatred of beetroot and warm milk.

The beer train! I’ve heard a lot about it but never been on it. Also make sure you quaff a beer in Huddersfield’s ‘Head of Steam’ as well.
Do you live in Barcelona Jonathan? And a big thanks for subscribing to the blog.

Been in both pubs on the station, might only make it as far from Slaithwaite from Liverpool (too many pubs…)

No live in Liverpool but been to Barcelona approx 25 times in tens years. Need to seriously improve my Spanish and Catalan before even thinking about moving there (though i’dnot object to moving within next five years…)

just discovered your blog, we will be coming to Barcelona for 4 days Mid May and I can’t wait to delve more into your blog to try and get some great places to try out! Just worried that 4 days is going to be enough time to consume all of the delicious food I want to!!!

Sally, I can assure you 4 days will not be enough and will leave you hungry for more. I would suggest making sure you try and enjoy some typical Catalan food, don’t just be lured by tapas and other Spanish goodies which are delicious but not typical of this region. I can especially recommend ‘Mam i Teca’ and ‘Disbarat’, both of which I’ve done posts on. I would also try and check out some of the xampanyeria cava bars. There are too many places to mention but have a good look through the blog and more additions will be coming up. Enjoy your visit!

Hi Claire, Good to meet you here. I am David from Sheffield. I have taken up residency in Ordino, Andorra. We moved here last year. Our work takes us away from the country for inordinate periods and it always takes a while to settle back into the routine of recognizing produce etc and formulating recipes. I had just returned from the fish counter to re translate what was on offer, this being Friday. Fish is delivered here Tuesdays and Thursdays only – so you have to be quick! It was in translating panga that I came across your blog. Thanks for the info on that. I will refer back to your site often i am sure. We were just down in BCN and tried out Dos Palillos in Raval – supreb seafood! Glad I found your blog. D

Hey was soo great to come across your blog. Would love to connect with you. i’ll be flying down to barcelona on the 23rd of May & being a food lover myself i think it would be great to understand barcelonas food culture from you.
Food Avalanche – Check me on instagram .
Thats my email id : nikita.duttagupta@gmail.com would love to hear back from you.

Hi Manolete,
Thanks for the invitation. I no longer write on Moonraker Morsels blog but I now have a new blog http://albionfoodandevents.com/blog/ you can find me on the facebook page facebook.com/albionbcn too.